Portugal’s interior minister resigns after over 100 people killed in wildfires this year

LISBON, Portugal— The Portuguese government minister in charge of emergency services has resigned after 106 people were killed in wildfires this year.

The government says on its website that Interior Minister Constanca Urbano de Sousa has tendered her resignation and that Prime Minister Antonio Costa has accepted it.

Urbano de Sousa says in her resignation letter published Wednesday that she wanted to quit after 64 people were killed in a wildfire four months ago, but Costa asked her to stay. She repeated her request after 42 people died in another spate of wildfires last weekend.

She said that she has prepared the ground for policy changes expected to be adopted by the government next Saturday.